Monday, September 10, 2007

So I am totally biting off Garney and EW for this one, but here are the top 10 movies I will actually shell out 12 bucks for this fall:

1. I'm Not There - From what I understand, it's a bio-pic about Bob Dylan starring six different actors (including Cate Blanchett and Heath Ledger) as Dylan. That alone pretty much sold me, but throw in a cast list to die for, and a director who made The Karen Carpenter Story with Barbie dolls instead of actors, and it's become THE must see movie of the fall (for me anyway). The soundtrack looks phenomenal, too.

2. The Darjeeling Limited - I've loved all of Wes Anderson's films. I think he is brilliant. This one follows three estranged brothers (Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson and Adrian Brody) as they are reunited after the death of their father. I'd pretty much watch Jason Schwartzman in anything.

3. Elizabeth: The Golden Age - Queen Elizabeth I is my hero. If I had an emphasis in college, it was on Elizabethan literature (I never thought I could sound nerdier, but there you have it, folks). She was a redhead who never married because she knew marriage meant a relinquishment of power. She was awesome...as was the 1998 movie about her. This sequel tosses Clive Owen into the mix. How can that not be a good thing?

4. There Will Be Blood - Like Wes Anderson, Paul Thomas Anderson has yet to disappoint me. Here he adapts an Upton Sinclair novel (Oil!) about a tycoon (Daniel Day-Lewis) who strikes it rich in a small Texas town in the late 1800's. I had to read Sinclair's The Jungle twice (once in High School, once in College) and it wasn't my favorite, but PT Anderson should do something interesting at the very least.

6. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - A Tim Burton musical with Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter should probably be higher on my list, but I'm not a huge fan of Sweeney Todd. I'll see it though...if only to see Johnny sing.

7. American Gangster - I saw the poster with Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe in the movie theater and literally felt giddy. Then I saw the preview and was even more excited. Directed by Ridley Scott and written by Steven Zaillian (who made one of my favorite movies of the 90's, Searching for Bobby Fischer), how can this not be a great film? C'mon admit it...you are giddy now, too.

8. Cassandra's Dream - A Woody Allen movie with two of the best looking actors in film (Ewan MacGregor and Colin Farrell). I am enjoying Woody's European phase (mark my words...in 50 years, when film students study Woody Allen, his films will fall in 2 groups: The NYC Films and The Europe Films). It's a drama, ala Match Point, and looks to put Woody back on track after Snoop. And, like Jason Schwartzman, I'd watch Ewan MacGregor in just about anything. I even paid 10 bucks to see The Island in the theater. That's dedication, my friends...

9. Across the Universe - Another musical, this time with Beatles songs. The trailer looks amazing, but I don't know how sold I am on it. I've read comparisons between the film and Cirque du Soleil, which is kind of a turn off, but I have hopes I will be entertained if nothing else.

10. Rendition - I really like Jake Gyllenhaal. I think he's actually kinda underrated. He suffers from what I call "Brad Pitt Syndrome" (formerly Tom Cruise Syndrome, before the crazy couch jumping)...too good looking to be taken seriously. I think Rendition will be the sleepy fall thriller that's actually really good (kinda like Breach from this past spring).

So there ya go. Good thing I have no life and plenty of time to go to the movies...